Fire takes Colonial Beach icon

Posted on Wednesday, January 8, 2014 at 11:00 am

n early morning fire in Colonial Beach may have taken an historical building from the town, but it didn’t take the many cherished memories generations of the town’s residents have. These memories were on the minds of everyone when they woke Sunday, Jan. 5, to find Colonial Beach Elementary School, a 100-year-old landmark, had burned beyond repair at approximately 4:00 a.m.

Firefighters worked hard to put out the fire on the morning of Jan. 5.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. State Police arson investigators have been on the scene.

Responding fire units included Colonial Beach, King George, Oak Grove, Cople District (Kinsale), Book District (Stafford County), Bowling Green, Dahlgren, Callao, Warsaw, Caroline, White Oak, La Plata, Cobb Island, St. Mary’s County and Newburg. The Colonial Beach Rescue Squad was also there and Essex County brought units to Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Department to backup the area in case of other fire needs. The ladies auxiliary also helped with food for those responding.

School Board Chairman Tim Trivett said that he heard the alarm at approximately 3:52 am and was on the scene in minutes. His initial photos showed the building to be engulfed in flames. The flames shooting through the roof took much of the roof within minutes. Fire vehicles from surrounding areas were steadily coming in, with large numbers of volunteer firefighters on each one. Reports indicate that the fire was largely on the front side of the building that faces Washington Avenue and that it burned toward the back. Washington Avenue was closed off to traffic at one point and traffic was redirected around